final exam questions

Chapter 21: What was the Fauvism movement a reaction to ?

Chapter 22: Did the Dada work have any rules and what did Dadaists try to tell the viewer through Readymades?

Chapter 23: Why did Abstract Expressionists come to paint the way they did?

Chapter 24: What are the similarities between Japanese and Chinese art?

Chapter 25: Is Global art no longer synonymous with Modern art? Why?

Assignment # 12

Ernesto Caivano was born in Madrid, Spain .One of his famous artworks is called In the woods that is permanently installed in one of the building’s stairwells at MoMA PS1 and it is also based on an ongoing story that tells about the reunion of a young woman and man after a separation of 1,000 years. The artist shows the figures’ psychological changes during their time apart through depicting the familiar natural landscape. In his narrative, Caivano once wrote that the woods symbolize an alternative reality informed by fairytales and folklore. Unlike his another work After the woods that consists of drawings and paper sculptures, In the woods is composed of black latex paint and gouache to create a visual web of images and gives the viewer more mystery and space to imagine what would happen in such a secret woods. In the picture, we can see the long tree branches wind around the walls and sprout up and out onto the ceiling and these would give you the feeling that you might be ruthlessly caught by its branches.  The bird keeps quiet weirdly on the dark branches just likes a very calm onlooker and at the same time it reminds me of those who are indifferent to sufferings of others.  
Caivano uses simple white and black and exaggerated scale to successfully create an attractive scene in such a grungy and small space and guides people into his imaginary world step by step.  Chain-link fencing, hanging light fixtures, rough walls and the content on the drawing look surprisingly harmonious.  The new world the artist creates is apparently peaceful but it seems to have lots of hidden emotions and secrets that I cannot speak. For me, the work reflects the fact that the world we live in actually also has a lot of potential dangers and people live under great pressure. However, I believe Caivano depicts a fantastic fantasy world that are opposite to the real world simply wants to offer people a chance of escaping from the reality for a while, and let them enjoy their quiet moments in this imaginary space and forget the unhappy things in the life. 

Museum paper

               Pop Art was born in London, where some young artists made collages with pictures cut from popular magazines.  The artists used real objects or media sources (include comic strip, the advertising layout, newspaper, etc) to create their art in the mid 1950s.  They tried to challenge the traditional definition of art and most of their work was full of irony. Pop Art does not critique materialism and consumerism of modern popular culture; rather, it reflects their pervasive presence.  Roy Lichtenstein who was born in New York in 1923 was one of the most important leading artists of the pop art movement of 1960s. His work was mainly inspired by the comic-book and he used parody to define the pop art in the movement.    Girl with Ball is one of his earliest famous artworks, 153cm × 91.9 c and was created in 1961 and it reflects the culture of the sixties in the US.  Lichtenstein’s inspiration for this piece of art was from a well-known newspaper advertisement for the Mount Airy Lodge in the Pocono Mountains and because of this, some people considered the work as the commercial art.  It gave people an interesting feeling which was different with what the sexy figure gave us on the ad. The artist shows the consumerist society and people’s leisure activity through his painting. In this painting, we can see a girl wearing a black bathing suit playing with a red stripes beach ball. The red of her lips and tongue is as vivid as the ball’s and they appear to be able to catch the viewer’s eyes immediately.   Her mouth is opened, and she seems to be speaking to others.  Waving hair and obvious facial expression, gesture and body posture, all of these are telling us the girl is having an interesting and exciting match on the beach.  The artist does not design any detailed background for the figure; he just uses simple yellow to show the good weather.  The swimsuit’s style is also typical of 1960s. Lichtenstein uses Ben-Day dots of primary colors to create this work. The bold color and simplified design successfully present a vacation atmosphere.  Also, the piece gives the viewer a feeling of freedom and reveals the artist’s values for nature. 

            Dada movement began to join a new movement—Surrealism.  Surrealism was officially launched in Paris in 1924 and led by Breton who was a French writer and poet.  The artworks in the two movements both focus on logic and reason and protest the direction of European culture. The artists sought to explore the dream-world after going through the cruelty of the war. Not similar to Dadaists, Surrealists uses unconventional techniques, such as frottage and automatism to create the artwork.  Max Ernst was born in 1891, was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet.  He was an important figure of the Dada movement and surrealism movement.  Ernst’s famous artwork titled Two Children are threatened by a Nightingale was created in 1924, and was considered as the last consequence of his early collages and the farewell of a technique. This unique work combines painted surface and real objects, measuring 27 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 4 1/2".  The wooden frame is the important part of the work; it connects to the red wooden gate very well and shortens the distance between the viewer and the figures, the scene in the painting.  The blue knob on the right hand side also becomes a little focal point of the whole view. It makes people curious about its relationship with the figure. The little title hand written in French on the front somehow gives me a kind of odd feeling. It seems more like a warning for somebody.  In the painting, the artist depicts a girl who has a beautiful curled long hair is scared by a bird, running after it with holding a knife. Near the house, there is something (perhaps another bird) lying on the ground. Moving to the roof of the wooden house, we can see a man carrying a baby with a dangerous standing posture. He is trying to grab the knob and take advantage of the item to escape from the world that he lives in.  The figures Ernst creates both have the same personality traits—brave, indomitable.  The tile and the story of the work were actually inspired by a fever dream that young Ernst experienced. And the nightingale usually represents the hope in art and literature. The artist uses nightingale to express his intense feeling about the world events.

Outline for my presentation

           Cai Guo Qiang is a Chinese contemporary artist and curator. He is famous for his gunpowder paintings.  As we know, gunpowder is an explosive substance; it burns faster under pressure and it can rupture containers.  Cai once used “Poppy flower” that is a poisonous but very beautiful flower to describe his gunpowder artwork. He thinks gunpowder also has its romantic and attractive sides even though it is dangerous. Because gunpowder is uncontrollable, Cai and his group need to be cautious during the process of creating the painting. 
           (A video shows how the artist uses gunpowder)         
          The explosion of gunpowder somehow reminds me of the September 11 event and I think that might be a metaphor for it.  Cai is trying to make those violent explosions beautiful and different. 
          Cai draws on many different materials, elements of feng shui, symbols, images of dragons and tigers, Chinese medicine, gunpowder, and philosophy.(examples)

           Cai Guo Qiang’s work has since crossed multiple mediums within art, including drawing, installation, video and performance art. His artwork is inspired by his interest in traditional Chinese culture and at the same time, his father who was an artist also influenced him a lot. He explores pain, tragedy, disaster and the meaning of terrorism in the world. At the same time, he expresses his ideas and emotions through abstract images and powerful objects and let the viewer feel deep pain by using strong visual impact. Also, his artworks reflect social issues and make people rethink about this world. That is why Cai Guo Qiang is considered as an example of Globalism. 

Bibliography

 https://www.google.com/search?q=google&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS482US482&espv=2&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=eXl7U_CBAYacyATBoIL4Dw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1366&bih=630#q=Cai%20Guo%20Qiang&tbm=isch 

¨  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26yS2ppwB7k 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cai_guo_qiang

Assignment # 9 ---- Hennessy Youngman

                    Jayson Musson, the person who creates the character of Hennessy Youngman and Art Thoughtz videos for YouTube is actually an artist and he treats Youngman as a body of work. In his videos, Musson comprehensively critiques the art world and his topics are about art history, contemporary culture, race and institutional art. His commentary and even some titles of the video such as “How to be a successful black artist” are apparently full of satire; however, he lets most people rethink the art world and helps them solve the questions they have been thinking. We have to admit that it is also a pleasure to watch Youngman’s Art Thoughtz since few people can righteously express their ideas like him. In one of his videos that titled “How to make an art”, Youngman shows us how he creates another new look for a work of art. He chooses two little statues of naked David and decides to make them black and yellow by using spray paint. The act of Youngman is bold because he totally changes the color of the body of David and breaks the whole feeling what it wants to show the viewer. The naked white David becomes completely dark as if it’s wearing the black clothing and you cannot even clearly see his face and body. The odd yellow and black seem to give the viewer a kind of ridiculous feeling and also Youngman calls the two pieces “Buddy Cop” to show a satire on traditional art.

Dada Collage

Cai Guo Qiang

                       Cai Guo-Qiang who was born in 1957 in Guanzhou city, China is a contemporary artist and curator and he works in New York.   After watching his interview in Art 21 website, I have to say Cai’s artwork is “dangerous” but very surprising and impressive. He uses the poppy flower to describe his work since it is a poison but it also has its attractive and romantic sides. Cai always likes to use an explosive substance — gunpowder to create his drawings. Gunpowder, as we know is full of danger and uncontrollable; therefore, Cai and his group have to know it very well and also use it carefully during their work.   The whole process of creating a drawing with the gunpowder is long and needs to be cautious. First of all, Cai would draw the shape of the object on a paper and cut it out and lay it down on the lager paper or a long scroll.  He would sprinkle some gunpowder and yellow pigment powder on the image.  Then, the group would use some paper, cardboard to cover the artwork and use some stones to fix it. The final step is the most important step --make the gunpowder explode.  The result of the explosion sometimes is a great satisfaction but sometimes it is a disappointment for the entire group. However, in his projects, Cai successfully harnesses the explosive power of gunpowder to create his own special artwork style. The explosion of gunpowder just likes a metaphor for the September 11 event. The artist is trying to make those violent explosions beautiful. I really like what Cai said in the interview, “the artist, like an alchemist, has the ability to transform certain energies…and the art is not about what you say, it’s about these other things that you don’t say.” 

 In fact, Cai’s work is inspired by his interest in traditional Chinese culture and everyday life, and at the time, his father who was an artist also influenced him a lot.  Cai draws on lots of different materials, elements of fengshui, symbols, images of tigers and dragons, Chinese medicine and philosophy and gunpowder and so on.  In his work, Cai tries to explore pain, tragedy, and the meaning of terrorism in the world and express his ideas and emotions through abstract images and powerful objects.  Also, he likes to use strong visual impact to let people feel pain, and meanwhile, his projects reflect social issues today. 

Assignment #6 Between World Wars

            The Dadaism art movement began in Zurich and was a direct reaction to the horrors of World War I.  At the time a  number of artists and writers  believed that traditional logic and reason lead to the war; therefore, they defied tradition.  The Dadaists gave up the conventional standards of art and created the art on their own ways. Their artworks rejected aesthetics at all and were more concerned with irrationality and chaos and also reflected the absurdity of the war and artists’ anger. Marcel Duchamp who was a French-American painter was the most radical artist in the Dada movement and the first conceptual artist since he created a new idea of art—readymade.  Duchamp’s work was filled with aggressiveness and irony. One of his famous readmades called Fountain which was simply a urinal shocked people because of its visual puns and humor.  Bicycle Wheel was Duchamp’s first readmade. The work simply consisted of a kitchen stool and the wheel of a bicycle.  The objects the artist chose were common but the combination of the two was interesting. The viewer could feel happy and somehow peaceful when he looked at this artwork. It seemed also a kind of pleasure to see the wheel turning. It was apparent that Duchamp did not focus on technique and aesthetic appeal completely but he was more like to show people the conceptual value of art.

 

            Jacob Lawrence was born in 1917 in New Jersey and he was one of the best painters of 20^th century.  He was labeled as a storyteller because of his famous series of narrative paintings. Migration series, included sixty panels and depicted the migration of African Americans from the south to the north during and after the first World War. Lawrence showed the viewer the stories of people seeking jobs, new lives after the war in Europe. Each work combined sociology and history, and showed a clear theme such as education, jobs, environment, buildings and human activity and so on.  In addition, the artist used bold colors, simplified figures, flat space, lots of shapes and representational compositions in his series.  From the paintings, we can see that Lawrence expressed his strong emotions and concern about the world during the war.  He was influenced by African American history and the Harlem Renaissance.  Jacob Lawrence had great impact at the period since he told the stories of hopes and struggles of African Americans in history through his artworks. What his work showed was not only the portrait of the people he knew included his family, but it also was the portrait of himself.  

Assignment # 5

              A group of artists that led by Claude Monet between 1870 and 1880 were labeled as Impressionists because of their paintings style.  These Impressionists put more focus on the realistic scenes that what the eye sees. Therefore, they portrayed the contemporary life through their direct observation outdoors.  You can see the artists gave more emphasis on color than lines of what they portrayed; they liked to use small brushstrokes as well. Scenes were usually painted with different main subjects such as seasons, atmospheric conditions and so on.   Gradually, Impressionists were more like to depict outdoor leisure activities of the middle-class people. In Post-Impressionism period, the artists had different opinions about Impressionism so they created their own painting styles based on it.  In the paintings, the viewer could see much more personal expression and some innovative formal structure. Post-Impressionists still used strong colors, brushstrokes, ordinary subject matter. However, they developed the use of geometric forms and abnormal colors, and were not concerned with the appearance of their subject matter. 

                Claude Monet was born in France and he was a leader of French Impressionist painting.  One of his favorite models in his paintings was boat.  In Boating On The River (Epte:1887) , the long oar Monet depicts plays an important role. It divides diagonally the entire composition of the painting, and also shortens the distance between the boat and the viewer.  The wavy lines seem to be gentle; however, they reflect the strength of the oar.   Rather than focus on the two ladies’ drama, Monet seems to pay more attention to the description of the foreground.  We can see how he uses the pure color to show us the vibrancy in his work.  The blue of the flowers and the green of the leaves that contrast with the dark green let the boating get rid of tedium and at the same time, the picture becomes more attractive and lifelike.   

               Paul Gauguin was considered as a spiritual leader in Post-Impressionism because his paintings express emotion and feeling in a modern way and he was more interested in the inner vision than the external elements. In Nevermore we can see the naked woman lying on the bed in an awkward way and her right hip is distorted simultaneously she opens her eyes but does not have any eye contact with us. I think there are two explanations for what she’s doing.  One is that the woman is not sleeping but more likely to pretend to be asleep and listening attentively to the conversation of two women behind her.  Another one is she might be immersing in her own fancy so the bird and the two figures in the background are not real. In contrast to the colors of background, Monet uses the strong yellow to depict the woman’s body to show her curves and further attract the viewer’s attention. 

Assignment#4 Part Two

Fra Filippo Lippi was born in Florence and he was an Italian painter in the second generation of Renaissance artists.  His painting Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a casement is the earliest double portrait that was painted around 1440 in Italy; it is also a first work that shows the sitters in a domestic setting.  It is a very odd but interesting artwork I saw in the museum and it leaves me an unforgettable impression.   This painting shows the two figures in profile, and it is exactly the standard format in early Renaissance portraiture.  At the time, the artists tend to use symbolism and iconography to depict their artworks.  In this double portrait, we can see that the woman is wearing the expensive clothing and jewelry that show how rich she is ,and her pale skin represents that she is pure and from the letters spelling “lealta” (means faithful) that embroidered on her sleeve we can know the relationship of the two figures.  Moreover, the look what the man at the window shows seems somehow a little stiff and there’s no expression on his face; however, he still gives us a feeling like an owner is looking at one of his beautiful objects and his fingers reveal his hidden happiness of mind.  The poses of the two models show a kind of strong formality and also the noble woman obviously takes up almost the whole view of the painting as the main subject.   It is probably that Lippi was commissioned to depict this painting to show the man how his fiancée looks like.  In addition, the enclosed little space the woman’s in represents that she is in a passive and controlled state. Lippi’s painting clearly reflects that the position of women and the formalization of wedding during the Italian Renaissance.  

 Orazio Borgianni, who was born in Rome, was an Italian painter of early-Baroque periods. Head of an Old Woman is one of his artworks that made in the 17^th century. The figure is shown might be the artist’s mother because he did paint a portrait of his mother a few years earlier. Meanwhile, Borgianni’s work shows the strong emotional realism and depicts common characters of human beings that are also the characteristic of the Baroque style. In the painting, the shaft of light that lit on the old woman seems merciless as if her youth is robbed by the cruel god. Borgianni laments the old age and mortality through his work and also gives the viewer a meditation.  The old woman’s eyes are looking down and show sadness and helplessness.  The colors of what she dresses are similar to the background and at the same time, they further bring out her depression. It seems that the figure has been very close to death; however, she is unable to stop it.  I remember that I felt sad and tears came to my eyes soon when I was looking at this painting. It reminded me of my weak grandmother.  That’s why I think it is really a powerful and eye-catching work since it shows people the very common thing but touches our hearts easily. “Once youth is gone and it will never come back”, I think this is also what the artist wanted to express.

Renaissance & Baroque Art Assignment #4

                Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden, a textiles and university town and he became a painter when he was 14.  He was the greatest painter in Holland. During his glorious years in Amsterdam,  Rembrandt's paintings were widely admired and accepted by many rich people.  He was a virtuoso manipulator of paint and more like a psychologist of the human condition because he could show the mood and vulnerability of human by depicting their watery eyes and jabbing strokes.  However, he was punished and his masterpiece had been cut up for being incompatible with modern taste and the special style of his works of art.

  In the 

painting, we can easily see what this man does— a rich fur businessman.  Because he is wearing his own product-- a high-priced fur coat, his identity becomes more obvious.  Rembrandt draws the background with deeper color and brings out the merchant’s character.  Nicolaes Ruts is a very intelligent businessman because he knows how to show people his products in a better way. Furthermore, from his tired face and the winkles around his eyes, we also know how diligent he is.  The artist tries to tell us what the successful merchant owns now is consistent with how hard he works all the time. And that’s why he is considered a businessman’s hero.  In addition, the figure’s gestures and posture, and even the small details on his serious face are showing a little impatience.  All of this further proves the fact that time is money for a businessman. 

The portrait of 83-year-old woman shows an unhappy face with drooping eyes and a frown.  It seems that the woman is not satisfied with her life or she is thinking of someone or something important because her eyes express a little sadness and lots of worry.  This painting gives me a feeling that she is a meticulous person in her life and always has more concerns for others than for herself.  

Unlike most other artists, Rembrandt slightly changes Samson’s image but still keeps the original story. In Rembrandt’s painting, Samson is not a naked strong man and likes a sleeping lion anymore.  He is depicted as a helpless and weak young person who is sleeping on the lap of an attractive woman called Delilah.  Samson dresses well, and at the same time, the yellow knot represents his love and trust in Delilah and becomes one of the keys in the painting.  However, the woman’s gestures and the look on her face are telling us a different story.  One of her hands seems ready to shear off the braids of Samson’s hair. Meanwhile, another hand is still gently touching his head as if she is comforting and making him sleep more deeply.  Rembrandt emphasizes Delilah’s right foot and toes by using the brightness of the light and shows the figures and story’s tensions further.  Moreover, the person who is holding the shape scissors and another one who is sneaking behind reveal a strong sense of betrayal as well.  Overall, the artist perfectly displays the basic sides of human nature—love and betrayal. 

Renaissance

                The Medici family occupied a very high position in Florence because of their political power and wealth and meanwhile, they were the leaders of the Renaissance.  At the beginning of the Renaissance, they supported the artists’ art creations and let them completely focus on their work without having to worry about the lack of money.  For example, the Medic helped the poor architect Filippo Brunelleschi when no one could understand his ideas about architecture.   Finally, Brunelleschi created the concept of linear perspective and made great progress in his work and then helped the Medici further develop their businesses. Donatello was also a famous artist the Medici supported during the Renaissance.  He successfully opened a new way for the development of art in Italy.  The sculpture bronze David was the first naked statue since ancient Roman times; therefore, it was very revolutionary. Moreover, it was innovation because the boy only wore the hat and boots but exposed the secret part of his body to people. The artwork portrayed shame and displayed a little sensuality. However, it showed the artist’s clear interpretations of divine perfection and human value.

design principles

Balance is one of essential principles of design and it can be divided into two types that are symmetrical and asymmetrical.   Symmetrical balance is usually required that the left and right sides are the same on the structure; however, the asymmetrical is not.  Van Gogh’s artwork Starry Night is a good example here.  It perfectly shows what asymmetrical balance looks like.  In this painting, the artist amplifies the bush on the left side and then it naturally becomes a focal point on the composition because of its large size.   To avoid the bush being too “heavy” visually and to keep balance of the whole painting, the artist depicts many other things.  Now, the large bush is balanced by the town, mountains, and the moon on the right side. Moreover, we can see that the artist uses the blue and purple as the colors of background to bring out the brightness of the moon; also, those colors become a strong contrast to the brown of the bush on the left side.   

It is also important to have unity and variety in a work of art.  Unity makes everything belong together and shows a vivid and strong connection between figures and objects. This is the artwork by the Italian contemporary artist Angelo Musco  that titles Hadal.  Musco expresses the unity of the painting in a stunning way. The composition of the artwork is built by uncountable naked human bodies. The bodies are moving in the same direction with the same prostrate look and gradually form a huge black hole.  The painting clearly shows the unified sense of purpose and the repetition of bodies also unified the whole visual perspective.

Scale is the first element artists have to consider before starting their works of art. More and more artists use the distortion of scale to show the relationship between the figures and objects or send a message to viewers. Dave Limpfish’s  digital painting  Vader with Parasol, the Dark Lord conveys a sense of unclear crisis.  The artist depicts a huge-sized dark lord with holding a small umbrella standing next to a little boy. The boy looks innocent and does not feel nervous. It seems that the boy has known the devil and is not afraid of him.  They might be friends and enjoying the nice weather together. The blue sky, the clouds and yellow flowers in the foreground are harmonious; at the same time, they bring out the difference between the lovely human and the evil dark lord.  The artist makes the relationship of the two figures very interesting but a little confusing.  

Two different art styles

                  Statuses in Egypt always have their certain standard forms.  They are standing in the frontal position and facing the viewer; at the same time, their faces are basically serious.  The first artwork is a group statue of three males and  its culture background is in New Kingdom, Amarna period in Egypt. The whole statue is made of a kind of stone which uses calcite as its main component and some paint.  The three people are different in their hairstyles and clothing, but you can see they are showing the same expressions on their faces.  On the whole, the man standing on the left side is more prominent and clearer than the other two. It indicates that the differences of their status. The hand movements of the man in the middle also let their relationship become much more distinct.  He puts his arm around the kid’s shoulder and is showing a strong love to him. Instead, he acts more respect to the man who is standing on his another side with holding his hand.  Overall, they are more like a family. It also reveals that the characteristics of the ancient Egyptian culture and art are always hierarchical. In addition, the figures the artists designed are alike in shape and line and they are less body language.  In this artwork, people are standing upright with left foot forward and grave looks. They are more likely to wait for their King’s command in the ceremony.  

                                            

                In contrast to Egypt changeless art style, Geek and Roman art are full of freedom and completely show the “beauty”.  This is a group statue as well but they are carved into three females without heads and hands.  This artwork is created in Roman imperial period in second century B.C. It made of a hard crystalline stone that called marble.  The three ladies have beautiful and attractive bodies. It seems that they are listening to the song and dancing.  You can feel that they are in a carefree, relaxed and cheerful state.  The artist uses exaggerated way to show the beauty of deformity of human beings. Meanwhile, the work expresses the Romans pursuit to their freedom and lives, and the exposed bodies reflect the Romans brave and powerful characteristics. Greek and Roman art do not have any certain forms and they tend to design more different body poses for figures in their arts. They dare to break the rules and explore the new things.